


Thinking Of You

by Mercia



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Australia, Avengers get name dropped lol, Canon Compliant, Flashbacks, I normally don't have ocs but pls give this a chance?, Jemma Simmons with scoliosis, Jemma has two big brothers, Jemma-Centric, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-Season/Series 01, Ryan Simmons, SHIELD, The Simmons are a Pure Wholesome family, The fall of SHIELD, pls read?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 07:11:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11641542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercia/pseuds/Mercia
Summary: Jemma's brother just wanted to keep his little sister safe. That was his job as eldest child.But he was just a civilian and the world had other plans.





	Thinking Of You

**Author's Note:**

> Yo. Idk what to write here but it feels like i should write SOMETHING. so yeh. pls enjoy. also comment. comments would be nice. and kudos. this is unbeta-ed btw so all mistakes are mine.

 

Ryan Simmons was in Australia when SHIELD fell, drunk off his arse.

 

**\- Don't worry. I'm safe. Make contact as soon as I can. Love u.**

**Jem xx**

 

It had been an hour since Ryan had gotten the text from Jemma. Obviously it was a mass text so she had obviously been in a hurry. To be honest he hadn't thought anything from it- which looking back was stupid since (a)the text clearly indicated she had reason to be in distress and (b)she worked for bloody SHIELD - but then mum had called.

 

"Wha- what? This is Simmons." He was piss drunk, remember?

 

He couldn't really hear anything behind his mother sobbing faintly. He sat up straight. "Hello? What's up? You know it's expensive to call overseas."

 

"Ryan?" Came his father's voice from afar, tight and constricted - Ryan reckoned he was holding in a few tears himself. There was shuffling as the phone was clearly handed over to her dad.

 

"Yes?"

 

"Did you get your sister's text?"

 

"Yeah, what about it?"

 

"She... No. Something's happened to her, er, job." He spoke slowly now, as if addressing a child. "Just sober up son, and check the news. Sit down first. I'm calling your brother now. Be careful and catch the first flight over. Don't trust anyone. There were protocols given to us in case this happened, remember? Okay. Bye. I love you."

 

....

 

Ryan switched on the tele. The news that his father was probably talking about was already on the channel. Lucky him.

 

He watched the replays of the helicarriers and the Triskellion going down in literal flames in silence. The footage of Black Widow, a flying man and Captain America fighting a man with a metal arm and Agents he didn't know were SHIELD or HYDRA _or good._

 

God.

 

Numbly he stood up and counted prime numbers like Jemma had taught him. Jemma, his little sister that could have been dead.

 

He got up to get another shot of whiskey and stopped himself. What the hell was he doing while Jemma was fighting on the front lines or dead?! Nothing.

 

" _Can you tell us more about the leaks, General?"_ said the anchor on screen, Deborah Willis, a pretty blonde with a calm expression all things considered.

 

 _"Well, we do know that classified information on both SHIELD and HYDRA agents was released onto the internet. All of it, even security details of normal civilians. We are going through a very difficult time right now. However, as we do not know how far HYDRA has run in SHIELD if not all throughout, SHIELD will now be branded as a terrorist organisation. We urge people to stay at home, if you see anything, please call th_ -"

 

Ryan almost wanted to laugh. His Jemma- sweet, kind, innocent Jemma who loved to look at stars- a terrorist. It felt like a sick, insensitive joke.

 

And all of her information was online too. She would be a target even if she had survived this massacre. He remembered how so many private institutions sought after Jemma and how everyone was so surprised that she'd picked SHIELD.

 

And how proud they were that she'd chosen them, and when she moved up the ranks so quickly. And the progress that she had made for a _terrorist organization._

 

Oh he was sober now.

 

....

 

The bright lights of his laptop glared back at him. He felt particularly paranoid now so he'd locked himself in the bathroom with the lights off and the webcam covered up with a post-it note. Sure, who'd want to bug or hack Jemma Simmons' lousy brother anyway but you couldn't blame a man for being careful. He booked the first flight to Sheffield and then searched his sister's name on the Internet.

 

He wasn't sure if he should have been relieved when nothing showed up. He searched Fitz's name on the internet and nothing again.

 

There was nothing. No sign of whether or not his sister was safe.

 

Dragging himself out of the dark, he gathered as many things as he could into a suitcase. Everything else which wasn't furniture had been dumped in his neighbour's bin.

 

The flight was in four hours but he'd rather be early than late.

 

....

 

 

_Ryan's looking over his shoulder at a seven year old, bedridden Jemma who's crying over people she hasn't even met, dying. He turns back to the TV screen, letting the images wash over him like every other tragedy on the news does._

 

_Jemma's wiping her tears and he frowns. She shouldn't understand things like this yet._

 

_"I want to be like those people." She points to the figure, a fire fighter, on the screen. "I want to help them."_

 

_"Don't be stupid Jems." Calls Peter, munching on some Walkers Ready Salted. "You're a genius but you can't even get out of bed without help." He says, pointing out her condition._

 

_It would be considered rude and insensitive in most cases but they're Jemma's older brothers, it's their job. They're protecting her._

 

_Peter gets hit in the face with a pillow._

 

_"Shut up." She says, snatching the crisps out of his hands. "You think I could, right?"_

 

_How can Ryan say no? "Sure Jem... " he replies, mussing up her hair. "Sure."_

 

_Jemma's always been a sensitive soul._

 

_...._

 

Ryan dressed casually, nothing too suspicious, nothing too eye-catching. Just a stained red shirt, a light grey hoodie, jeans and a pair of those fake glasses his friend bought him as a joke last Christmas when he was (yet again) very not-sober and kept crashing into walls, and some basic trainers.

 

He left the house and called a cab a block over using his best Australian accent.

 

It was an hour's drive to the airport on a good day and luckily, most people seemed to have taken the advice of staying home. Which was ridiculous. Nothing ever happened in this part of Australia except droughts and plagues of insects.

 

Still he had to be grateful. The sooner he got there the better- who knew what could happen.

 

Admittedly, Ryan had not actually read all of the SHIELD protocols regarding relatives, loved ones and compromised individuals. Obviously he had signed it and told Jemma that he had read it all five times over, just to put her at ease. It wasn't like it was even considered a possibility that an organization such as SHIELD would fall.

 

Turns out he'd been wrong.

 

Aptly, the first few splatters of rain started coming down on the roof of the taxi. The one time it rained in Australia, how ironic. Pathetic fallacy was key after all.

 

"Well I'll be damned." muttered the taxi driver. Silently, Ryan agreed. "So what are you doing going to the airport, when everyone was told to stay home?" He asks, raising a pair of thick, bushy eyebrows.

 

"Visiting family before people start to put their panicking into action and flights are cancelled." He shrugged simply, as if this was simple logic and everyone was stupid not to follow it through.

 

"That's true I guess."

 

"Besides, nothing ever really happens here so I figure, it's safe."

 

"That's sound." The guy hummed turning the corner. "Here we are.

 

"Great." Ryan replied automatically, pulling his wallet out and handing over a wad of cash. "Keep the change."

 

"Thanks man."

 

....

 

_Ryan watches in amusement as a seventeen year old Jemma runs from the front door to the bathroom and locks herself in. There's a brief moment of silence before Jemma is screaming and laughing._

 

_"Careful Jems," he calls out, "People are gonna start thinking you're really a mad scientist if you keep screaming like that."_

 

_She throws the door open and marches out. "Oh hush you. I've just gotten my letter from-" she pauses for a moment._

 

_"From what, Hogwarts?"_

 

_"No from... I'd better sit everyone down first." Jemma frets, carefully folding the letter back into the envelope._

 

_Rolling his eyes fondly, he calls everyone to the dinner table for a "family meeting" because "Jemma wants to say something."_

 

_"If it's that you're gay, Jems, we already knew. It's cool, we accept you and all that jazz." Yells Peter from his room at the same time as dad says-_

 

_"You better not be pregnant or something Jemma Elizabeth Simmons."_

 

_"NO! It's none of those things. Just come downstairs!" She yells back._

 

_One by one, mum, dad then Peter filter into the living room. Everyone's here to celebrate Jemma's second PHD. Ryan almost wishes he was in her position, except she likes homework way too much- it can't be healthy._

 

_Plus he's too proud of her._

 

_"Mum, Dad… I've applied for a position at SHIELD… And I've been accepted!" She smiles, squealing out the last part. "…Yay?" She murmurs, observing their lack of reaction._

 

_A few concerned looks get thrown across the table_

 

_"Honey are you sure? SHIELD is so… dangerous and I don't want you getting hurt. Wouldn't you be better off at some research facility?" says mum, the frown lines clear on her face. As a mother of a legitimate genius, Ryan figures that his mother would be a little more used to it by now. He is. But it seems every time something new comes Jemma's way - her PhD's, her going to university at twelve and the rest of them having to move with her (because she was twelve for god's sake!), the MENSA letter coming to say that "Hey! You're daughter's a genius!", mum never fails to become even more surprised and flustered._

 

_Jemma rolls her eyes reminding him that she's still seventeen, despite her academic status reflecting otherwise. "But mum! I want to help people! I want to be- be part of something important! Please, mum I need to do this." Underneath the table next to him, he sees dad grasp mum's arm._

 

_"Jemma, you're only seventeen." Says mum seriously. "Think about whether you actually want this. This… SHIELD is a massive commitment, it'll be your whole life, probably. And it's dangerous. Please." she doesn't say please don't do this though because Ryan knows mum always wants them to be happy… and if this makes Jemma happy then eventually she'll be all for it._

 

_"Yes mum. I know... I really do. Besides, it'll only be the Academy. I won't have even started being an agent for at least another year or two. I'll be fine." There's a desperate plea to her voice, and none of them can ever resist that._

 

_"Alright then." says dad, who's been silent throughout this. "We can't stop you anyways - you're over sixteen - so we might as well support you. Listen, come home though, okay?"_

 

_"Okay." Jemma whispers, he can tell she's sniffling a bit._

 

 _The rest of the month passes swiftly, Jemma packing her essentials and going shopping with dad, mum asking Jemma if she_ really _wants to do this, Peter teasing her about being a secret agent and Ryan doing his job, protecting her. He's the eldest after all. He has to protect both his siblings._

 

_"Be safe, Jems." he says, ruffling her hair at the airport._

 

_"I will."_

 

_…._

 

Customs was a long, boring process he rather he didn't go through. But considering there weren't many people at the moment and he was young, white and male, it hadn't taken as long as usual.

 

The flight was half empty when he boarded. Just anxious business men and perhaps some anxious family members. Though not as anxious as him, he thought. He allowed himself to lounge across multiple seats tapping through the mini screen in front of him for a movie. What? It was about to be a terribly long flight (over eighteen hours). Eventually, though, he settled on watching some cartoons. Just small things like Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny. They were a little reminiscent of his childhood. He wasn't paying much attention, to be honest. Dinner was a rather watered-down chicken curry with a dinner roll and a brownie which had been surprisingly good (except things with chocolate are always good). They'd hit a spot of turbulence after about eight hours but that was all and Ryan had to remind himself that they were already _almost_ halfway there.

 

The one thing he wouldn’t allow himself was sleep. How could he, with how the world was right now?! He wasn't about to let himself be caught off guard.

 

He had been supposed to protect Jemma Simmons and her wonderful mind, and it suddenly occurred to him that really it'd been the other way round all along.

 

Soon he'd be safe (as much as possible) and with his family.

 

He wondered just how safe his baby sister was right now.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Pls pls comment and leave a kudos if you enjoyed it. even just two words and i will literally die for you. pls?  
> im a mess.  
> -Mercia


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